Forest Service: Consolidation of the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range
Experiment Station With the Intermountain Research Station
(Correspondence, 11/16/2000, GAO/GAO-01-53R).

The Forest Service consolidated its Rocky Mountain Forest and Range
Experiment Station with its Intermountain Research Station. The
resulting consolidated station was renamed the Rocky Mountain Research
Station and was relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado. The Forest Service
originally proposed consolidating the two stations in 1992 but delayed
taking any action until it completed its reorganizational assessment in
May 1997. The Forest Service cut 18 managerial and administrative staff
positions during the consolidation. The positions that were eliminated
were either transferred to other Forest Service units or were vacated
through retirement or employee buyouts. Since 1992, the research funding
available to the merged station has remained relatively constant, about
15 percent of the Forest Service's budget for research stations, and the
number of employees has remained relatively stable.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  GAO-01-53R
     TITLE:  Forest Service: Consolidation of the Rocky Mountain Forest
	     and Range Experiment Station With the Intermountain
	     Research Station
      DATE:  11/16/2000
   SUBJECT:  Research and development facilities
	     Reductions in force
	     Federal agency reorganization
	     Facility management
	     Cost control
	     Centralization
	     Federal downsizing
IDENTIFIER:  Colorado
	     Utah

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GAO-01-53R

Forest Service Office Consolidation United States General
Accounting Office

Washington, DC 20548

November 16, 2000 The Honorable James V. Hansen Chairman, Subcommittee on
National Parks

and Public Lands Committee on Resources House of Representatives

Subject: Forest Service: Consolidation of the Rocky Mountain Forest and
Range Experiment Station With the Intermountain Research Station

Dear Mr. Chairman: The Forest Service, within the U. S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), maintains 77 research laboratories, organized within
regional research stations, to develop scientific information to improve the
management, protection, and use of forests and rangelands. In response to
budget- reduction initiatives in the 1990s, the Forest Service consolidated
the administrative and management functions of some of these stations. For
instance, in May 1997, the Forest Service consolidated into one
administrative unit its Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station
with its Intermountain Research Station. 1 The consolidated station was
renamed the Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) and headquartered in Fort
Collins, Colorado. The Ogden headquarters office of the former Intermountain
Research Station, with the remaining managerial and administrative staff,
was renamed the Ogden Service Center.

Because of your interest in the consolidation of the Rocky Mountain Research
Station, we are providing you with information on (1) the chronology of the
consolidation of the former Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment
Station and the former Intermountain Research Station, (2) the managerial
and administrative staff reductions and associated cost savings resulting
from the consolidation, and (3) the overall changes in the research staffing
levels and research budgets that have taken place since the consolidation of
the Rocky Mountain Research Station was proposed in fiscal year 1992.

In summary, the Forest Service originally proposed merging the managerial
and administrative staff positions of the research stations in August 1992
but delayed this action until May 1997 so that it could complete its
reorganizational assessment under

1 The former Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station was
headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, and managed additional research
units in Fort Collins, Colorado; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Flagstaff,
Arizona; Laramie, Wyoming; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Rapid City, South Dakota.
The former Intermountain Research Station was headquartered in Ogden, Utah,
and managed additional research units in Logan, Ogden, and Provo, Utah;
Bozeman and Missoula, Montana; Reno, Nevada; and Boise and Moscow, Idaho.

2 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

its agencywide reinvention effort. As a result of the consolidation, the
Forest Service eliminated 18 managerial and administrative staff positions.
The Director of the Rocky Mountain Research Station said that the station
had eliminated staff positions only after employees vacated those positions
through retirements or buyouts and that it did not use any reductions- in-
force to complete the consolidation. We estimate that, had these positions
been filled, the Rocky Mountain Research Station would have spent an
additional $1.4 million in salary and benefits for fiscal year 2000. In
addition to the staff positions eliminated because of the consolidation, an
additional 29 managerial and administrative staff positions were eliminated
or transferred to other Forest Service units between fiscal years 1992 and
2000. These reductions occurred because of an agencywide employee buyout,
across- the- board research budget reductions, and other steps taken to
achieve operational efficiencies. Since fiscal year 1992, research funding
available to the merged station and its former components has remained
relatively constant as a percentage- about 15 percent- of the Forest
Service's overall research budget to its research stations. Finally, the
number of scientific, professional, and technical staff at the merged
station has remained relatively stable.

Chronology of the Research Station's Consolidation

In response to congressional interest in the early 1990s and the Secretary
of Agriculture's direction that USDA reduce its overhead and administrative
costs, the Forest Service initially considered the consolidation of the
management and administrative staffs of the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range
Experiment Station and the Intermountain Research Station in mid 1992.
According to an August 5, 1992, internal Forest Service memorandum, the
consolidation was part of a larger Forest Service effort to reduce its
overhead and administrative costs by also consolidating its Southern and
Southeastern Research Stations into one administrative unit. The objectives
of these consolidations were to (1) improve the efficiency of research
station programs by reducing administrative and overhead costs, (2) improve
regionwide coordination between the station and associated Forest Service
regions, and (3) allocate a greater share of available funds directly to
research.

To comply with an appropriations act requirement that USDA receive consent
from the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations and on Agriculture
before moving or closing its research offices, 2 the Secretary of
Agriculture, on August 14, 1992, notified these committees of its plans for
both consolidations. 3 In the notification, the Secretary said that the
basic scope and direction of research in the

2 Public Law 102- 154 required the consent of the Senate Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture.
The same consent requirement continued to appear in the Forest Service's
appropriations and was expanded in its 1996 appropriation to also require
consent from the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the
House Committee on Resources and to cover any reorganizations based on the
governmentwide reinvention effort. See Public Law 104- 134. The requirement
changed again in the Forest Service's 1997 appropriation to require consent
only from the appropriations committees. See Public Law 104- 208. 3 The
Southern and Southeastern Research Stations were consolidated on January 20,
1995.

3 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

affected states would not change and that only a small number of employees
would need to be relocated to accomplish the consolidations.

On November 10, 1992, the Senate Committee on Appropriations requested more
information on the impacts of the two consolidation plans, including the
number of staff positions to be eliminated and potential dollar savings from
the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain merger. On January 19, 1993, USDA
provided this information and further indicated that Fort Collins was chosen
over Ogden as the consolidated station's headquarters because (1) Fort
Collins staff provided administrative support to several USDA organizations
and the Arapaho- Roosevelt National Forest; (2) the Rocky Mountain station
was located on the Colorado State University campus, a major land grant
university with a natural resources research arm; and (3) Fort Collins was
located near Denver, Colorado, which serves as regional headquarters to
several federal agencies, such as the Fish and Wildlife Service and the
Environmental Protection Agency, that the research station frequently worked
with. In its June 24, 1993, report accompanying the Department of the
Interior's fiscal year 1994 appropriations, the House Committee on
Appropriations noted that it agreed with the proposed consolidation.
However, neither the Senate Committee on Appropriations report nor the
conference committee report mentioned the consolidation.

According to the Forest Service's Deputy Chief for Research and Development
and the RMRS Director, the Forest Service delayed consolidating the research
stations until it completed efforts under the governmentwide reinvention
effort to look at its entire organizational structure. The reinvention
called for reducing the number of Forest Service regional offices and
changing the alignment of research stations within the new regional
boundaries. The Secretary did not accept the reinvention report's proposals,
in part, because of several congressional concerns about closing or
realigning existing regional offices and regional boundaries.

Subsequently, in fiscal years 1995 and 1996, additional budget reductions
caused the Forest Service to once again look for operational efficiencies by
consolidating its research stations. USDA again requested congressional
consent for the proposed merger of the managerial and administrative staffs
of the research stations. In a September 10, 1996, letter to USDA, the House
Committee on Appropriations gave the agency approval to carry out the
consolidation. 4 In addition, on April 11, 1997, USDA received the Senate
Committee on Appropriations' consent to the consolidation request.

According to the RMRS Director, the consolidation of the Rocky Mountain
Forest and Range Experiment Station and the Intermountain Research Station
took place on May 7, 1997. The new research station was renamed the Rocky
Mountain Research Station, and it coordinates the Forest Service's research
activities over a 13- state territory through its work units in 10 states.
Station headquarters management and administrative staff are housed in the
station's Fort Collins Service Center, and

4 Although the Committee's letter refers to an August 22, 1996, USDA letter
seeking approval for the consolidation, the Forest Service was unable to
provide us with a copy of this letter.

4 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

remaining managerial and administrative staff are housed in the station's
Ogden Service Center.

Managerial and Administrative Staff Reductions and Associated Cost Savings
From the Consolidation

According to the RMRS Director, consolidating the managerial and
administrative staffs of the two research stations was intended to eliminate
duplicate staffing and result in cost savings. USDA originally estimated in
January 1993 that 9.5 positions in Ogden and 2 positions in Fort Collins
would be eliminated in the merger, while 16 support positions would be
transferred from Ogden to Fort Collins, and 6 administrative positions would
be reassigned in Ogden to support research activities. USDA originally
estimated the cost savings from these actions would be about $900,000
annually. In January 1997, the Forest Service increased this estimate- to
exceed $1.4 million annually- on the basis of an estimate of salary savings.
However, the Forest Service was unable to provide us with its methodology
and calculation for reaching this estimate.

According to the RMRS Director, the Forest Service eventually eliminated 21
managerial and administrative staff positions because of the consolidation
but created 3 new staff positions as a result. We calculated the salary and
benefit payments for the net reduction of 18 staff positions. We estimate
that, had these 18 positions been filled, the Forest Service would have
spent an additional $1.4 million in annual salary and benefits for fiscal
year 2000. 5 Our estimate may be somewhat conservative because it does not
include other costs, such as travel, that could be associated with employing
staff.

Overall, managerial and administrative staff decreased by 47 positions at
the two service centers from fiscal years 1992 through 2000, including the
net reductions of 18 positions from the consolidation; an additional 18
positions from employee buyouts and budget cuts; and 11 positions from
employees who transferred to other Forest Service units without being
replaced. Table 1 shows these decreases in managerial and administrative
staffs at both the Ogden and Fort Collins Service Centers.

5 RMRS staff identified the federal General Schedule pay level for each of
the staff positions eliminated and created because of the consolidation. We
calculated salaries for these positions using the January 2000 federal
General Schedule pay charts. We calculated benefit costs for each of these
positions from estimates in the Forest Service's fiscal year 2000 budget
submission to the Congress.

5 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

Table 1: Changes in Managerial and Administrative Staff Positions, Fiscal
Years 1992 to 2000 Managerial and administrative staff positions Research
station In fiscal

year 1992 Eliminated due

to consolidation Created due to

consolidation Abolished

or not filled

Reassigned to other Forest

Service unit Remaining

in fiscal year 2000 a

Ogden Service Center 42 17 0 0 7 18 Fort Collins Service Center 88 4 3 18 4
65

Total 130 21 3 18 11 83

a The total number of positions at the Fort Collins Service Center is 68,
the total for both service centers is 86 because 3 new accounting positions
were created between fiscal years 1996 and 2000 and were not part of total
managerial and administrative staff positions in fiscal year 1992.

Source: Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service.

At the Ogden Service Center, the 17 positions eliminated because of the
consolidation were the station director; 3 assistant directors; and several
secretarial, professional support, and budget staff. The four positions
eliminated at the Fort Collins Service Center included an assistant
director, two library staff, and one administrative officer. Three
positions- a deputy director position and two budget staff positions- were
created at the Fort Collins Service Center because of the consolidation.

Of the additional 29 positions eliminated, 11 were cut at the Fort Collins
Service Center because of fiscal year 1996 budget reductions across Forest
Service research stations and 7 positions because of restructuring of duties
when vacancies occurred, according to RMRS Director. 6 In addition, RMRS
officials reduced staff at the two former stations by transferring 11
positions to other nearby Forest Service units, primarily to match staffing
assignments with unit funding sources. Of the 11 staff positions reassigned,
RMRS officials indicated that

ï¿½ 6 civil rights staff positions were transferred from the former
Intermountain Research Station to Forest Service Region 4 (also
headquartered in Ogden) in fiscal year 1994;

ï¿½ a statistician staff position was relocated from the Ogden Intermountain
Research Station office to the Forest Sciences Laboratory, located in Logan,
Utah, in fiscal year 1995; and

ï¿½ 4 staff positions- a natural resources manager position and 3
administrative positions- were transferred from the Fort Collins Service
Center to the Forest Service's Washington, D. C., detached staff, 7 also
located in Fort Collins, between fiscal years 1995 and 1999.

6 Because these positions were not directly targeted by the consolidation,
we did not estimate the salary and benefit savings due to eliminating or not
filling these positions. 7 These staff work at regional sites but are funded
through the Forest Service's headquarters accounts.

6 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

Tables 3 and 4 in enclosures I and II, respectively, list the managerial and
administrative staff positions eliminated at both service centers between
fiscal years 1992 and 2000.

According to the RMRS Director, employees who participated in the Forest
Servicewide buyout initiative in fiscal years 1994 and 1995 allowed the
consolidation and other staff position reductions to take place without
employee layoffs or without forcing employees to transfer from Ogden to Fort
Collins. Two employees from Ogden successfully competed for positions
created in Fort Collins during the consolidation.

Overall Changes in Research Staffing and Research Budgets

While the number of managerial and administrative staff decreased between
fiscal years 1992 and 2000, the total number of scientific, professional,
and technical staff at the Rocky Mountain Research Station remained
relatively constant, although the mix of these staff varied. According to
budget information from the Rocky Mountain Research Station, the percent of
research funds controlled by research units in states served by the station
also remained relatively constant. More broadly, the station's share of
Forest Service research appropriations remained steadier than funding for
other Forest Service research stations.

Total scientific, professional, and technical staff at the former research
stations in fiscal year 1992 equaled that of the consolidated station in
fiscal year 2000. Staff listed as scientists included those leading basic or
applied research and included positions classified as research foresters,
hydrologists, economists, ecologists, fisheries biologists and plant
physiologists, among others. Staff listed as professional included positions
classified as foresters, wildlife biologists, accountants, and librarians,
among others. The professional positions were generally at a lower grade
than the scientist positions and often supported research being led by staff
scientists. Technical positions included forestry technicians, accounting
technicians, and biological science technicians. Table 2 shows the number of
scientific, professional, and technical staffing at the former and current
research stations.

7 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

Table 2: Scientific, Professional, and Technical Staffing, Fiscal Years 1992
Through 2000 Fiscal year and number of staff a Research station

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Former Intermountain Research Station

Scientists 77 80 76 79 69 66 Professional 55 50 55 57 62 63 Technical 35 37
37 65 65 62

Subtotal 167 167 168 201 196 191 Former Rocky Mountain Forest and Range
Experiment Station

Scientists 69 76 74 76 61 58 Professional 12 10 21 14 22 18 Technical 21 19
20 12 10 10

Subtotal 102 105 115 102 93 86 Rocky Mountain Research Station (combined
totals through fiscal year 1997)

Scientists 146 156 150 155 130 124 124 119 111 Professional 67 60 76 71 84
81 77 104 102 Technical 56 56 57 77 75 72 71 52 56

Total 269 272 283 303 289 277 272 275 269

a Staffing totals for the former Intermountain Research Station and the
former Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station were unavailable
for fiscal years 1998 to 2000 because the Forest Service has only maintained
combined information since the consolidation. Totals represent only
permanent employees. RMRS also employs research staff in temporary
positions.

Source: Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service.

As shown in table 2, the number of staff identified as scientists fell from
a combined total of 146 in fiscal year 1992 to 111 in fiscal year 2000. The
RMRS Director told us that the decline in scientists occurred because of
retirements, buyouts, and acrossthe- board research budget reductions in
fiscal year 1996. These reduced the number of scientists positions funded by
the research station. The Director said the station has made greater use of
temporary researchers, such as post- doctoral appointments for finite terms,
to make up for the loss of permanent full- time scientist staff. The total
number of scientists and professionals was 213 in fiscal years 1992 and
2000.

Table 2 also shows that staff identified as professional rose from a
combined total of 67 in fiscal year 1992 to 102 in fiscal year 2000. The
RMRS Director said that the increase in professional staff occurred
primarily because of an expansion of reporting requirements for the Forest
Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. 8 Under this program, the Forest
Service collects and reports information on status and trends- including the
species, size, and health of trees; total tree growth; mortality; removals
by harvest; and wood production and utilization rate- on public and private
forests. The RMRS Director said the station's FIA program, directed from its
Ogden, Utah, location, grew from 6 percent of the station's appropriated
funding in fiscal year 1998 to 12 percent in fiscal year 2000.

8 The Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998
significantly enhanced the FIA program by requiring the Forest Service to
issue FIA reports more frequently and with additional forest health
information.

8 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

While the mix of research staff changed over time, appropriated funding for
the research station remained relatively stable. Figure 1 shows appropriated
funds for the former and current research stations.

Figure 1: Appropriated Funds for Former and Current Research Stations,
Constant Dollars, Fiscal Years 1992 Through 2000

Dollars in millions 0 5

10 15

20 25

30 35

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Fiscal year

RMRS Former Rocky Mountain Former Intermountain

Note: Gross domestic product base price index used is for fiscal year 1999.
Source: Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service.

In fiscal year 1999 constant dollars, appropriated funding for the two
former stations was $24 million in fiscal year 1992, reached $28.6 million
in fiscal year 1995, but fell to $26.3 million in fiscal year 1996 because
of the across- the- board Forest Service budget reductions for research.
Funding for the consolidated RMRS was $32.1 million in fiscal year 2000.
Table 5 in enclosure III includes research station budget allocations in
actual and 1999 constant dollars from fiscal years 1992 through 2000.

Appropriated funding for RMRS has remained relatively constant when compared
with the funding for the Forest Service's other research stations. Total
research funding for the Forest Service increased from $181 million in
fiscal year 1992 to $203 million in fiscal year 2000. Taken together, the
former Intermountain and Rocky Mountain stations received a total of about
15 percent of all Forest Service research funding in fiscal year 1992. This
percentage of total research funding remained constant throughout the 1990s.
In fiscal year 2000, RMRS received a total of about 16 percent of all
appropriated funding made to Forest Service research stations and
laboratories. According to the RMRS Director, the Forest Service was able to

9 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

supplement appropriated funds by making increasing use of contract funds
that came mainly from other federal agencies, including other Forest Service
units, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service.
According to the RMRS Director, these funds to support research and
technical assistance have grown from $7 million in fiscal year 1992 to $13
million in fiscal year 2000.

As noted earlier, RMRS coordinates and funds research activities across a
13- state territory through its work units in 10 states. According to RMRS
budget information, the percent of research funds received by work units in
states served by the station also remained relatively constant. Tables 5 and
6 in enclosure III identify work unit budget allocations by state and
calculate the percent of overall funding the work units in each state
received of total RMRS funding.

Agency Comments

We provided the Forest Service with a draft of this report for its review
and comment. We met with the Forest Service's Deputy Director of Research
and Development and the Director of the Rocky Mountain Research Station. The
Forest Service agreed with the facts as presented and provided some
technical clarifications, which we incorporated as appropriate.

---- To develop the information for this report, we reviewed Forest Service
budget documents and interviewed current and former Forest Service officials
at the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain Research Stations and officials in
the Forest Service's Region 4, as well as headquarters. In addition, we had
RMRS staff prepare estimates of changes in staff positions in both Fort
Collins and Ogden. We reviewed these estimates with RMRS staff. We performed
our work from July through November 2000 in accordance with generally
accepted government auditing standards.

10 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

As arranged with your office, unless you publicly announce its contents
earlier, we plan no further distribution of this report for 7 days after the
date of this letter. At that time, we will send copies of this report to the
Honorable Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture, and the Honorable Mike
Dombeck, Chief of the Forest Service. We will make copies available to
others on request.

If you or your staff have any questions about this report or need additional
information, please call me at (202) 512- 3841. Key contributors to this
report were Linda Harmon and Timothy Minelli.

Sincerely yours, Barry Hill Director, Natural Resources

and Environment Enclosures – 3

11 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

Enclosure I

Table 3: Changes in Managerial and Administrative Staff Positions at the
Ogden Service Center, Fiscal Years 1992 Through 2000

Positions at former Intermountain Research Station fiscal year 1992

Position eliminated

due to consolidation

Position reassigned to

other Forest Service unit

Positions remaining at

Ogden Service Center fiscal year 2000

Station Director 1 Assistant Station Director, Research 2 Assistant Station
Director, Research 1 Assistant Station Director, Administration 1 Secretary
3 Office Assistant/ Secretary 1 Staff Director, Budget and Research
Agreements 1 Budget Analyst 1 Accounting Technician 1 Grants and Agreements
Specialist 1 Staff Director, Operations/ Administrative Officer 1 Management
Analyst 1 Management Assistant 1 Office Assistant/ Office Automation Clerk 1
Staff Director, Research Information 1 Editorial Assistant/ Visual
Information Specialist 1 Office Assistant/ Editorial Assistant 1 Clerk
Typist/ Editorial Assistant 1 Visual Information Specialist/ Printed
Material 1 Technical Publications Editor/ Writer Supervisor 1 Publications
Editor 1 Visual Information Specialist 1 Visual Information Specialist 1
Public Affairs Specialist 1 Public Affairs Specialist 1 Technical
Information Officer 1 Librarian 1 Library Technician 1 Library Technician 1
Technical Information Specialist 1 Mathematics Statistician 2 Mathematics
Statistician 1 Staff Director for Human Rights 1 Equal Opportunity Assistant
1 Supervisory Equal Opportunity Specialist 1 Employee Relations Specialist 1
Equal Opportunity Specialist 2

Total positions- 42 17 7 18

Source: Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service.

12 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

Enclosure II

Table 4: Changes in Managerial and Administrative Staff Positions at the
Fort Collins Service Center, Fiscal Years 1992 Through 2000

Positions at former Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station
fiscal year 1992 Position eliminated

due to consolidation Position abolished or not filled due to

budget reductions or restructured duties

Position reassigned to

other Forest Service unit

Positions at Fort Collins Service Center fiscal year

2000 a

Station Director 1 Assistant Station Director, Research 2 Assistant Station
Director, Administration/ Operations 1 Assistant Station Director, Research,
Planning and Application

1 Global Change Program Manager 1 Secretary 4 Management Analyst 1
Management Analyst 1 Building Management Specialist 1 Support Service
Supervisor 1 Information Clerk 1 Clerk 1 Computer Specialist 5
Telecommunications Specialist 1 Information Management Officer 1 Librarian,
Supervisor 1 Library Technician 1 Library Technician (Typing) 1 Library
Technician 1 Library Aid 1 Public Affairs Specialist 1 Visual Information
Specialist 1 Technical Publications Editor/ Supervisor 1

Technical Publications Editor Supervisor/ Illustrator 1 Office Automation
Assistant/ Information Management Assistant

1 Editor 1 Natural Resources Manager 1 Administrative Officer 1 Student
Training Contracting/ Cooperative Education

1 Copier/ Duplication Equipment Operator 1 Purchasing Agent 1 Purchasing
Agent 1 Contracting Specialist 1 Procurement Clerk (Typing) 1 Contracting
Specialist Supervisor 1 Purchasing Agent 1 Mail Clerk 1 Supply Clerk 1
Maintenance Worker 1 Purchasing Agent Supervisor 1 Contract Specialist/
Grants and Agreement Specialist

1 Agreements Assistant/ Freedom of Information Act Privacy Specialist

1 Purchasing Agent 1 Property Management Specialist 1

13 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

Enclosure II

Positions at former Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station
fiscal year 1992 Position eliminated

due to consolidation Position abolished or not filled due to

budget reductions or restructured duties

Position reassigned to

other Forest Service unit

Positions at Fort Collins Service Center fiscal year

2000 a

Contracting Specialist Supervisor 1 Information Receptionist 1 File Clerk/
Information Receptionist (Typing) 1 Support Services Supervisor 1 Accounting
Technician 5 Budget and Accounting Officer/ Financial Manager

1 Office Automation Assistant/ Accountant 1 Budget Analyst 1 Budget and
Accounting Analyst 1 Personnel Clerk 4

Manpower Development Specialist 1 Personnel Officer 1 Position
Classification Specialist/ Personnel Management Specialist

1 Personnel Management Specialist Supervisor 1 Personnel Management
Specialist 1 Payroll Clerk (Typing) 1 Clerk Typist 1 Personnel Assistant
Supervisor 1 Personnel Management Specialist 1 Safety and Occupational
Health Specialist 1 Statistician 1 Statistician 1 Mathematics Statistician 1
Computer Program Analyst 1 Computer Specialist 2 Administrative Staff,
Washington Field Office 3

Total positions- 88 4 18 4 62

a Three positions were later created at the Fort Collins Service Center
because of the consolidation- a deputy director position and two budget
staff positions. Three additional positions- two accounting positions and a
secretarial position- were created in fiscal years 1996 and 2000,
respectively, but were not due to the consolidation. A total of 68 staff
positions existed at the Fort Collins Service Center as of October 1, 2000.

Source: Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service.

14 GAO/ 01- 53R Forest Service Office Consolidation

Enclosure III

Table 5: RMRS Budget Allocations by State, Fiscal Years 1992 Through 2000

Dollars in thousands

Fiscal year State 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Arizona $2,531 $2,696 $3,476 $3,560 $2,611 $3,142 $4,682 $5,269 $5,069
Colorado 5,563 6,083 6,325 6,134 5,794 5,513 4,942 5,087 5,277 Idaho 5,235
5,309 5,536 5,674 5,027 5,227 5,267 5,316 5,316 Montana 5,547 5,424 6,020
6,322 6,788 6,788 6,748 6,891 7,091 Nebraska 1,033 1,087 1,102 1,077 600 600
600 600 600 New Mexico 1, 162 1,189 1,585 1,562 1,391 1,391 1,472 1,502
1,502 Nevada 214 204 465 456 464 464 464 464 464 South Dakota 564 699 690
697 714 714 714 736 311 Utah 4,145 4,178 4,086 3,789 3,267 3,267 3,422 4,153
5,153 Wyoming 1, 303 1,161 1,145 1,134 816 816 816 719 719

Total $27,297 $28,030 $30,430 $30,405 $27,472 $27,922 $29,127 $30,737
$31,502

Fiscal year 1999 GDP price index .878 .900 .921 .940 .958 .975 .987 1.00
1.02

Constant dollar total $23,967 $25,227 $28,026 $28,581 $26,318 $27,224
$28,748 $30,737 $32,132

Note: Totals for fiscal years 1992 through 1997 include combined totals for
the former Intermountain Research Station and the former Rocky Mountain
Forest and Range Experiment Station.

Source: Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service.

Table 6: RMRS Percent Budget Allocations by State, Fiscal Years 1992 Through
2000 Fiscal year and percent of total research budget allocation State 1992
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Arizona 9 10 11 12 10 11 16 17 16 Colorado 20 22 21 20 21 20 17 17 17 Idaho
19 19 18 19 18 19 18 17 17 Montana 20 19 20 21 25 24 23 22 23 Nebraska 4 4 4
4 2 2 2 2 2 New Mexico 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Nevada 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 South
Dakota 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 Utah 15 15 13 12 12 12 12 14 16 Wyoming 5 4 4 4 3 3
3 2 2

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Note: Totals for fiscal years 1992 through 1997 include combined totals for
the former Intermountain Research Station and the former Rocky Mountain
Forest and Range Experiment Station.

Source: Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest Service.

(141468)
*** End of document ***